Name:
Huaxiagnathus (Chinese/Greek for "Chinese jaw"); pronounced HWAX-ee-ag-NATH-us
Habitat:
Plains of Asia
Historical Period:
Early Cretaceous (130 million years ago)
Size and Weight:
About 6 feet long and 75 pounds
Diet:
Meat
Distinguishing Characteristics:
Large size; long fingers on hand; probably feathers
About Huaxiagnathus:
Huaxiagnathus towered over the other "feathered dinosaurs" that have been unearthed in the famous Liaoning quarry in China; at six feet in length, this theropod was significantly larger than more famous feathered kin like Sinosauropteryx and Compsognathus, and had correspondingly longer, more grasping hands. As with many other Liaoning discoveries, a near-complete specimen of Huaxiagnathus, lacking only the tail, has been preserved across five large slabs of stone.
